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Law enforcement agencies across metro Detroit are sounding the alarm about a surge in pistols being illegally modified into machine guns through the use of small attachments called conversion switches.
Authorities are concerned by the potential threat these modified weapons pose to public safety.
“It’s not just to law enforcement, but these are a threat in general to the public. Obviously, with these mechanisms, I’ve seen them, the rate of the gun being altered to shoot 30 to 40 rounds in like two seconds,” Sergeant Derek Stansbury of the Shelby Township Police told FOX 2 Detroit news.
In a recent incident, Detroit Police discovered a Glock ghost gun equipped with a conversion switch on an individual shot and killed during a traffic stop. The modified firearm also featured an extended magazine, effectively transforming it into a fully automatic weapon.
Gun rights activist Rick Ector, associated with the NRA’s board of directors, explained how the switches are applied and their function.
“What it does is it causes the firearm to fire in rapid succession in a full auto-mode,” Ector said. “Typically, it’s attached on the back, and if an individual pulled the trigger — as opposed to it being semi-automatic, one trigger pull, one discharge — this person could then just merely depress and hold the trigger and cause it to fire successfully.”
The illegal acquisition of these conversion switches is on the rise, with many individuals buying them on the dark web or utilizing 3D printers to create their own.
In a June 2022 case, the Oakland County Sheriff’s Department arrested a man for allegedly buying and importing the switches illegally. Court documents said the man, identified as Immanuel Gates, obtained the switches from a Russian website and then shipped them over in packaging for “safe lawnmower parts.”
While federal firearms licenses are required to legally own and use a conversion switch, a significant number of buyers, like Gates, are obtaining and using them unlawfully.
To crackdown on illegal sales, the ATF is pursuing covert and undercover operations to identify and shut down websites selling these modifications.
However, the ease of production and distribution continues to pose challenges for law enforcement.
The use of the makeshift machine guns has become a nationwide concern, contributing to a worrying surge in gun violence.
According to real-time audio tracking by Sound Thinking, a public safety technology company, there was a 49% increase in suspected automatic gunfire incidents across 127 cities last year.
In response to the escalating crisis, federal law enforcement has engaged with firearm manufacturers, including Glock, to explore modifications that could prevent the attachment of conversion switches.
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